Indicator: 19 - Children Returned to Maine Children Returned to Maine From Out-Of-State Residential and Hospital Placements

 

Why This Is Important

For a number of years Maine, like many other states, placed children and adolescents with
behavioral health or habilitation needs in out-of-state residential programs or hospitals for
behavioral health treatment services. This practice reflected a lack of appropriate in-state
treatment programs and inpatient psychiatric capacity to meet the needs of these children.
Both families and their children do far better when they are able to stay connected with each
other during hospitalization or while in a temporary out-of-home treatment setting. Out-of-state placements typically mean that parents are separated from their children for extensive periods
of time. This causes additional emotional stress on siblings and financial hardship that impacts
the entire family.

 

 

 

Where We Stand

The 1998 law creating the Children’s Mental Health Program made the transfer of children
placed out-of-state to care in Maine a priority. At that time the out-of-state census was
approximately 240 children. The chart below shows that Maine continues to make significant
progress in returning children from out-of-state placements back to their homes and communities.

Over the past four years there has been a consistent decline in the number of children who are
being served out-of-state. During this time period the out-of-state census of children receiving
care and treatment from the Department of Health & Human Services was reduced by nearly
half from 110 children to 58 children. Eighty-eight percent of these children are in New England settings. Beginning in 2001, these results were achieved through close collaboration between the Bureaus of Child & Family Services and Children’s Behavioral Health Services. The elements to achieve such positive outcomes include prior authorization for placement out-of-state after
confirmation that no in-state alternatives exist to meet the child’s assessed needs, greater
availability of Maine resources such as in-home behavioral supports and out-of-home intensive, temporary treatment programs, and the development of a specialized unit for children with Developmental Disabilities at Spring Harbor Hospital.

 

Data Sources and Context

Data comes from the Department of Health & Human Services, Bureau of Child & Family
Services.